High School Boys to Watch at the NMMC Relays
Jaheim Bridges and Taylor Brown - Tupelo HS
The best 1600m duo in the state will finally be opening up their outdoor season on their home turf at the 2022 North Mississippi Medical Center Relays.
Combining indoor and outdoor, Jaheim Bridges is the only runner in the state that has broken 4:30 in the 1600m this season, crushing the barrier with a 4:24 at the 2022 Last Chance Invitational. In that same race, Bridges' teammate and training partner, freshman phenom Taylor Brown, went 4:31 for a freshman class Mississippi state record and Miss. #2 ranked overall 1600m mark.
As one can see, these boys are fit coming into the 2022 outdoor track and field season, and show no signs of slowing any time soon. Expect them to take advantage of the warm weather and high-caliber competition and get after it on Saturday at the 202 NMMC Relays in the 1600m and 800m.
Ethan Knight and Luke Johnson - Oxford HS
Facing off the best 1600m duo in the state is the best 3200m duo in the state from Oxford High School, Luke Johnson and Ethan Knight.
Knight and Johnson both went 9:40 in the 3200m indoors at the 2022 Icebreaker Invitational, which still sits at the fastest time in the state this season, indoor and outdoor. At the next meet, Johnson then added 4:33 along with teammate Matthew Singletary in a crowded heat - So crowded, that Ethan Knight took a hard fall early into the race and still finished to a 4:48.
Much like Brown and Bridges, these two are coming off of a fantastic indoor season and are also opening up in the same event, the 1600m.
Who is the better Mississippi High School Boys 1600m duo? We will find out on Saturday at the 2022 North Mississippi Medical Relays.
Some other heavy hitters in the 1600m include Cooper Parmer of Pontotoc, the 2021 MHSAA 4A Cross Country State Champion, Robert Hooper of Tupelo, Lukas Dykes of Mooreville, J.J. Lincoln of Saltillo, and last but certainly not least, middle school sensation Andrew Brown, who holds just about every single age group state record that you can think of.
Bridges and Hooper are also entered in the High School Boys 800m, where we could potentially see the state's first sub-2 of the outdoor season.
Micheal Mosely - Columbus HS
Headlining the sprints at the 2022 North Mississippi Medical Relays is Columbus High School's Michael Mosely, the #1 seed in the 100m, 200m, and the 400m.
After just missing out at qualifying for the 2021 MHSAA 5A State Championships, Mosley has been on a roll in his 2022 outdoor season campaign. He has already racked up three wins in the 100m and 200m, and could potentially snag some more on Saturday.
Currently, Mosley is ranked #4 in the 200m and #5 in the 100m in MHSAA 5A, and will surely be chasing some lower rankings and PR's in all three sprinting events at the 2022 NMMC Relays.
Cooper Parmer - Pontotoc HS
Lastly, although he did get a notable entry mention in the 1600m, this kid is too good not to talk about. After a stellar 2021 cross country season which included an MHSAA 4A State Title, a Top-5 finish at the 2021 Mississippi All-State Meet of Champions, and ran 16:12 or faster on five different occasions, Pontotoc's Cooper Parmer is ready to rip on Saturday at the 2022 North Medical Mississippi Relays, where is entered in both the 1600m and 3200m
While I don't know what Parmer's main focus will be, the 1600m is far more competitive as one can see in all of the entries mentioned above.
Parmer is a very consistent competitor. It's still very early in the season and it's hard to call his fitness level, but he is the favorite in the 3200m and he'll definitely go down swinging in the 1600m on Saturday at the 2022 NMMC Relays.